December 6 is a day that has a bonanza of birthdays for the Indian team with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer and RP Singh.
December 6 is a day which is a bonanza of celebrations for the Indian cricket team and the players. Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, RP Singh, Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer all have birthdays today. All these players have contributed in grand style to the success of the Indian cricket team in the last decade or so. Ravindra Jadeja has been with the Indian cricket team for close to 10 years and has played a pivotal role in the success of the Indian cricket team as well as for the Chennai Super Kings franchise. RP Singh reached his crescendo when he was the leading wicket-taker for India in the 2007 ICC World T20 which resulted in their win. RP Singh took three wickets in the final against Pakistan and it made him one of the best bowlers in the format.
Shreyas Iyer has been a domestic giant for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and his exploits in the Indian cricket team middle order point out to how solid his presence will be. Karun Nair is known for becoming the second player after Virender Sehwag to hit a triple century in Tests when he smashed 303 against England in the Chennai Test in 2016. Jasprit Bumrah is acknowledged as the leading wicket-taker for India in the last couple of years and his presence in the side has resulted in a resurgence which has seen India dominate across formats. On the occasion of the quintet's birthday, here is a look at some of their achievements.
1. Happy Birthday Indian cricket team
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Ravindra Jadeja, nicknamed 'Sir' initially trended more as a joke but the young man from Saurashtra took all the criticism and mock comments in his stride to turn the tables in spectacular fashion. A disastrous 2009 World T20 made him the laughing stock, particularly among the naturally combustible Indian fans who were baying for his blood back home. It was evident that he was a more effective bowler, having the ability to hit a spot with relentless accuracy. Batting skills were no less - he has three triple tons in first-class cricket - that sums things, doesn't it? Jadeja was slowly working his way in limited-overs cricket but clearly, it was his Test debut that changed his fortunes in a big way. His initiation in red-ball cricket came in a dead rubber of the home series against England in 2012-13. However, a fairly decent debut meant that he was retained when the Australians toured India in early 2013.
The same year he shone in India's Champions Trophy title glory, gaining the Golden Ball for his terrific bowling performances in the tournament. That international season was an emphatic statement - Jadeja had arrived. Since then, he hasn't looked back, becoming a force to reckon with in Tests, particularly in the sub-continent as India charged to number one in the rankings. (Image credit: Twitter)
2. Happy Birthday Indian cricket team
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His association with Ashwin has dismantled many opposition batting line-ups and is easily the best spin attack in the world. Injuries did hamper his form in the shorter formats and the new rule changes post the 2015 World Cup saw him being ineffective in white-ball cricket. The all-round package that he is, Jadeja is a tough candidate for a captain to ignore because he is a live wire in the field, bowls decent spin and can give those extra few runs towards the end overs. Recurring injuries to Hardik Pandya in the 2018-19 season gave a new lease of life to Jadeja's white-ball dreams and he cemented his spot in the squad.Ravindra Jadeja has also starred for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 and it has been the immense backing of MS Dhoni. (Image credit: Twitter)
3. Happy Birthday Indian cricket team
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Karun Nair scored three consecutive centuries in Karnataka’s final league game and the first-two knockout matches. Karnataka won the title again in 2014–15, with Nair scoring 709 runs in their ten matches, including a knock of 328 in the final against Tamil Nadu to help Karnataka register an innings victory. He became only the second player from Karnataka to score a triple century and the first batsman to score a triple century in a Ranji final since 1946–47.
On 26 November 2016, he made his Test debut against England at Mohali. He scored his maiden Test century in the final match of the series at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, going on to finish 303 not out. He took three innings to hit the triple century, thus becoming the quickest batsman to a maiden triple-hundred in Test cricket history. With this feat, Nair became only the second Indian batsman to hit a triple-hundred in Tests after Virender Sehwag and the third player – after Bob Simpson and Sir Garfield Sobers – to convert their maiden Test centuries into triple centuries. (Image credit: Twitter)
4. Happy Birthday Indian cricket team
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RP Singh started his career on a high when he took two wickets in his first over against Zimbabwe in an ODI. In his third match, he took 4 important wickets to rattle Sri Lanka. His bowling figures of 8.5 overs, 2 maidens, 35 runs and 4 wickets announced his arrival on the international stage. RP Singh was selected to make his Test debut in the 2nd Test against Pakistan in Faisalabad, Pakistan in January 2006. He won the man of the match award on his debut after taking 5 wickets in the match.
RP Singh was selected to play in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa in September 2007. RP Singh emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the entire competition, taking 12 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 12.66 runs per wicket. India won the 12-nation tournament after beating Pakistan in the final. R.P. Singh's best figures were 4/13 in 4 overs in India's final Super-8 stage match in which they eliminated South Africa from the tournament. (Image credit: Twitter)
5. Happy Birthday Indian cricket team
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Shreyas Iyer had to toil in the domestic circuit for a long time. After such a prolonged period of brilliance, the India cap eluded him and he once felt that he might not play in the national team. In the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy, Shreyas Iyer scored 1,321 runs during the tournament including four centuries and seven fifties at an average of 73.39, becoming the top scorer of the Ranji season and second player to score 1,300 runs in a single Ranji Trophy competition. In the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy, Iyer scored 725 runs including two centuries and two fifties at an average of 42.64. He scored 202 not out off 210 balls, against the visiting Australia team in a 3-Day Practice match in Mumbai, his highest first-class score.
In September 2018, Iyer was named as the vice-captain of Mumbai for the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament. He was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in the tournament, with 373 runs in seven matches. In October 2018, Iyer was named as the captain of India B's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. He was also the leading run-scorer in the Deodhar Trophy, with 199 runs in three matches. His regular exploits did fetch him a spot in T20Is and now he is a regular in the ODI set-up. (Image credit: Twitter)
